Stay Food Safe this Holiday Season

By Cameron Clark, Food Safety Division

Food illness is a gift that can keep on giving, and it’s one of the gifts you do not want to give to your family or friends this holiday season. When preparing for holiday gatherings, food safety should always remain a top priority. In fact, we all play a large role in protecting our families, friends, neighbors and colleagues throughout the season of special gatherings. Make sure you’re doing your part to keep bacteria at bay with these simple practices

• Clean and separate: Be sure to wash hands before and after preparing and serving food. Wash utensils and cutting boards in hot soapy water, and keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods.
• Hot foods hot and cold foods cold: Cook foods to the right internal temperatures — check them with a food thermometer! Ensure that hot foods stay at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Try using chafing dishes and slow cookers if serving buffet-style. Place cold foods that will be kept out for more than two hours on ice, and discard any perishables left at room temperature for more than two hours, including leftovers.
• Don't eat raw ready-to-cook foods: Cookies are a holiday favorite, but whether packaged or made from scratch, raw cookie dough and other ready-to-cook foods can harbor bacteria and should not be eaten until cooked to the proper temperatures.

Holiday Buffets

A popular way to celebrate holidays is to invite friends and family over for a buffet. However, this type of setup, where foods are left out for long periods of time, leaves the door open for bacteria growth.

• Always remember to keep hot foods hot (at or above 135 degrees Fahrenheit) and cold foods cold (at or below 41 degrees). Use a hot plate, crock pot or other heating device for hot foods. Nest cold food items into bowls of ice and replenish ice as needed.
•  Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard perishable food items after two hours.
• Consider setting out smaller dishes that can be “replenished” from the fridge or oven, and offer non-perishable items that can stay out for long periods of time, such as spiced nuts, chips, etc. 

Eggs in Holiday Dishes

Eggs are a staple ingredient for many holiday foods such as eggnog, eggs benedict, no-bake cookies, salad dressings, quiches, soufflés and other baked goods. Eggs should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator and must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill any harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella, that may be present.

• If your homemade eggnog recipe calls for raw eggs, use whole, liquid or pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes. If you don’t have pasteurized eggs available, combine the eggs and half the milk for your recipe. Cook the mixture gently, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees, when the egg mixture will thicken enough to coat a spoon. After cooking, chill the mixture before adding the remaining milk and other ingredients.
• Once you’ve made your eggnog, refrigerate immediately. If you are making a lot of it, divide into several shallow containers to help it cool quickly.
• Many egg dishes may be refrigerated for serving later, but should be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.

Leftovers

The best part of so many favorite holiday dishes can be the leftovers – a ham or turkey sandwich the day after always seems to taste better! But leftovers must be properly stored to ensure they are still safe to enjoy in the days after they were originally prepared. Remember that you can’t confirm if a food is safe by taste, smell or appearance alone.

• Throw away all perishable foods that have been left out at room temperature longer than two hours, including meat, poultry, egg dishes, casseroles, cheese and eggnog.
• Eat leftovers within one to three days from the fridge, or freeze.
• When freezing foods, use shallow, air-tight containers and label with an expiration date.
• Be sure to fully defrost frozen leftovers in your refrigerator and reheat to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Monitoring Holiday Indulgence

A holiday season can be challenging for many, as the abundance of celebrations can make it hard to resist rich foods and goodies. But there are some simple ways consumers can continue to make smart nutrition choices when preparing holiday meals. Here are a few tips to help make healthful menu choices:

• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products (such as low-fat whipped cream on dessert)
• Try baking, steaming, grilling or broiling instead of frying
• Incorporate heart-healthy seafood products, lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry
• Consider snacks with “healthy” fats, such as unsalted nuts and seeds, olives and avocados
• Eat your fruits, veggies and whole grains. These foods are naturally low in fat and sodium.
• When possible, use fresh (or fresh frozen), low sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables
• Consider fats when cooking and baking. Choose mono- and poly-unsaturated fats such as canola oil and olive oil, liquid or spray, instead of solid fats like solid shortening, butter or lard.
• Amp up flavors without always turning up salt. Use herbs and spices to add flavor, such as rosemary, oregano, basil, curry powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, fresh garlic or garlic powder, black or red pepper, vinegar or lemon juice and no-salt seasoning blends.

Mailing Food Gifts

A holiday tradition for many families is to bake various holiday-inspired treats – not only to have around the home throughout the holiday season, but to also share with family and friends. This sometimes includes mailing food products through the mail, which requires some special considerations for both the mailer and the receiver:

• Foods that ship well include pound cakes, cookies high in sugar and shortening, bar cookies, brownies, shortbread, sugar cookies, nut bars and fudge. Avoid cookies with perishable fillings such as cream or custard. Fruit and nut fillings work best. Soft, moist cookies will mold quickly in humid climates.
• Coffee blends are easy to pack into decorative plastic or metal containers and ship.
• Dried foods, nuts and dry mixes (spiced teas, herb blends, and party mixes of cereals and nuts) are good choices.
• Delicate cakes that crumb easily, pies and yeast breads are fragile and spoil easily.
• If sending a cake, do not frost before mailing. If frosting is desired, include a package of dry frosting mix or commercially canned frosting in the package. Do not mail aerosol cans.
• Make sure that a perishable food item can stay cold at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit while in transit. Use insulated packaging material such as foam, ice packs, frozen gel packs or dry ice if necessary. If you receive a gift that is marked as cold, make sure the food is still at the proper temperature when it arrives.
• Do not pack food in glass containers or place glass items in with food.
• Do not send fresh, cured or smoked meat, pork, pork byproducts or poultry.
• When choosing a box, make sure it is roomy enough to allow plenty of packing material on all sides.

For more holiday food safety tips, check out this video from the US Food and Drug Administration. Don't forget to follow the Department's Food Safety Division on Twitter, @GDAFoodSafety, for tips, news and more.